State reaches a deal with one ferry union
State negotiators say they have made a deal with one union representing the crew of the fast ferry Fairweather but still threaten to pull the vessel out of service if agreements aren't reached with all three by Jan. 25.

City still pondering Breeze In expansion
The Juneau Assembly likely won't decide the fate of the Douglas Breeze In expansion until early this week, Mayor Bruce Botelho said Saturday after a three-hour hearing.

Same-sex discussion bothers parents
Some Juneau parents don't like a draft counseling curriculum for the elementary schools that refers to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students.

Small crab legs in Juneau prompt Safeway recall
Safeway swiftly withdrew a cache of small king crab legs for sale at its Juneau grocery store Friday after local ocean activists accused the company of selling juvenile king crab from Russia.

Photo: In aid of women
Amalia Monreal, a child and family counselor, talks about healing powers and support groups during a women's conference titled "Hearing Women's Voices - It's a New Year," held Saturday at the ANB Hall.

One year later
Healing his body from the slashing wounds left by a knife-wielding attacker was the easy part, Eric Drake said a year after he was left for dead in his taxi.

Don Louis Cafferata
Former Douglas resident Don Louis Cafferata, 75, died Dec. 30, 2004, after a short illness at St. Joseph's Hospital in Eureka, Calif. He was surrounded by his loving wife and daughters.

Empire editorial: Oil-tax hike a good first step
Gov. Frank Murkowski surprised more than a few people - including those in the oil industry - this week with his State of the State speech, in which he announced a hike in oil production taxes.

Chain stores may be necessary evil
I 've been thinking a lot about big box stores and capitalism and the free-market system, and about the environment, and generally about standards of living and quality of life.

Tests show some bears can see color
Tests with black bears and polar bears indicate that they can see color. Researchers Ellis Bacon and Gordon Burghardt of the University of Tennessee concluded that black bears could discriminate between shades of color.

JDHS wrestlers post 3-1 mark on Ketchikan trip
The Juneau-Douglas High School wrestling team left half its squad at home, but the Crimson Bears still posted a 3-1 record in a two-day series of triple-dual meets with Ketchikan and Sitka this weekend at Ketchikan High School's Clarke Cochrane Gymnasium.

Sports in Juneau
Sports in Juneau is a service provided by the Juneau Empire to provide information on upcoming sports and outdoors events in Juneau.

Wasilla man constructing 18-foot-tall not-a-robot
As Carlos Owens Jr. envisions it, the humanoid machine he's building will shoot nine-inch nails from the shoulders and 20-foot flames from the forearms. "You've got to have flame-throwers!" he says.

Tax change steams oil companies
Oil industry representatives are crying foul over a plan by Gov. Frank Murkowski to increase taxes on some North Slope oil fields, arguing the governor gave them no warning before announcing the decision.